Monday, June 6, 2011

Constructor: Gary Whitehead

Relative difficulty: Easy-Medium

THEME: WEST POINT (56A: School whose motto consists of the last words of 17-, 25- and 45-Across) — last words of theme answers are, in order, DUTY, HONOR, COUNTRY; CADET sits in the middle of the grid (38A: Enrollee at 56-Across); bonus theme answer of USMA (1A: Initials for 56-Across).

Dull theme with a livelier-than-average grid. There's gotta be a zingier DUTY answer than CIVIC DUTY. I like BACK COUNTRY quite a bit, both because it's interesting / unusual, and because it changes the meaning of COUNTRY, taking it away from the sense it has in the West Point motto. I also ADMIRE the Zs and the Ks and the X, all in a grid that remains solidly Monday-level with one major, glaring, outlying exception: LAIUS (53A: Father and victim of Oedipus). If you lined all today's answers up on a "General Familiarity" scale, from Universally Known to Obscure Beyond Belief, I don't know where this answer would fall, but I do know the other answers wouldn't be anywhere near it. Completely valid answer, a nice bit of mythological trivia, but comparatively arcane in this environment. Not that that's so bad—at least it's a piece of trivia that seems worth knowing. And it's not as if it slowed me down much. I might have lost 5-10 seconds trying to piece it together from crosses. Not sure why I can remember JOCASTA but not LAIUS. I think her name is just more interesting.

I wonder if there was really no possible theme answer that could have symmetrically balanced out USMA. Or if there isn't a thematic way to clue ALTO (65A: Sax type).

Theme answers:

17A: Serving on a jury, e.g. (CIVIC DUTY)

25A: Bride's attendant (MAID OF HONOR)

45A: Rural area (BACK COUNTRY)

I love that CUMIN (18D: Curry ingredient) and ACUMEN (43D: Keenness of mind) are in the same column. My CUMIN ACUMEN is quite high, I think. You don't see the CZ- spelling of TSAR much in puzzles, if only because "TS" are so much more common letters. I'm happy to see the "Z" restored to its rightful place in GIZMO (34D: Thingamajig). I'm reading Tina FEY's book "Bossypants" right now, and it's unsurprisingly fantastic (8D: Tina of "30 Rock"). The chapter about her father is particularly great: simultaneously touching and hilarious.

There's some bonus military answers in the puzzle, which I suppose you could count as thematic were it not for the fact that they are answers that appear in puzzles all the time (NO SIR, SGTS, TROOP). I had TESTY for NASTY (19A: Mean-spirited), but other than that, and the mini-struggle with LAIUS, no trouble anywhere to be found.

Bullets:

48D: 1971 Jane Fonda/Donald Sutherland film ("KLUTE") — on my To-Watch list for this summer, my To-Watch list consisting of every crime movie, mystery, and thriller from 1960-1976, i.e. "Psycho" to "Taxi Driver." I've only just started with 1960, but I can already tell you that "Never Let Go" (w/ Peter Sellers in a non-comic role as a sadistic garage owner) is Brilliant. My first great accidental discovery.

42A: Jug band instrument (KAZOO) — great answer, great clue, though I have to admit that my first thought was "... jug?"

I enjoyed this puzzle. Had no trouble with LAIUS, got most of it from crosses,then remembered it from Stravinsky.Have not seen "Never Let Go," but you should enjoy "Klute."This was a thoroughly enjoyable Monday, and rather a quick solve. Must have been on the right wave length.I like CIVIC DUTY followed across by NASTY. Yes I had a bad experience and think jury duty is NASTY.Somehow my botish mind likes the column of FEY over OGLER over TASTE.

I thought it was great that it was so so so dense in related military-type answers, really created a milieu.In addition to the extra theme-ish answers @Rex mentioned (NOSIR, SGTS, TROOP) I would add 36D Rifle SCOPE,Sudden military action RAID, CADET,WWII foe with "the" AXIS, ALAMO.I mean that is some atmosphere Gary Whitehead (Jughead?) created! Bravo!

Was "Klute" the one where Jane Fonda wakes up and there is a dead guy in her bed? I HATE when that happens!

All,I too liked this puzzle, sorry Rex I didn't see the theme as dull, but might be biased as an Army guy. Speaking of which, June 14th is also the Army's 236th Birthday.

As for the possible symmetry with USMA, agree with DJG that it could easily have been "ARMY", with "SOSA", "IPR", "NAM", and "TRY" as crosses, and "SPAR" right above it. Intellectual Property Rights might be considered to vague, but still think it would work. Oddly enough, In-Progress Report (IPR) is common military parlance. I was envisioning [38A culminating point] as the clue.

Still a fun Monday distraction or, more accurately before bedtime enjoyment here in Hawaii.

With only four real theme answers, there's no reason the fill should be this shoddy nor the grid so closed off. The 5x5 corners are nice, but a Roman numeral, partial phrases (ASOF, ITSIN, ASTAB), a plural name (NORAS), icky stuff (LAIRD, NLERS, CIRC, LAIUS) and crosswordese (YSER, ARTE, OPE) are not so nice. Spread your theme answers out so the top-middle and bottom-middle aren't so craptastic!

@constructor destructor--I was under the impression that my 14-year-old daughter had made up the word "craptastic"...apparently not. Anyway, love the word, but wouldn't apply it to this puzzle. Thought it was fine Monday fare.

Nice Monday, for those of us who still do Mondays. (I do every day, because something horrible would happen to the world if I didn't. No, I don't know what, but something bad. It's a OCD thing.) As a general rule, any piece of arcane trivia is okay in an early-week puzzle if the crosses are accessible to most solvers.

To have the treasonous Jane Fonda in a puzzle saluting the USMA is an insult to The Long Gray Line. I did enjoy her, however, in her nude spread in Playboy back in the '60s. Also as Barbarella with the fishbowl breast cover.

The *opposite* of everything jackj says. The whole point of a puzzle like this is to have a reveal that springs out unexpectedly. Also, MY COUNTRY is not acceptable, in that it's a partial longer than five letters. Partials in theme answers and partials longer than five are both bad ideas, which is why you very, very rarely see them.

This reveal didn't spring out unexpectedly. I looked at the clue for 1A, Read the clue for 56A, wondered if it might be West Point, read the duty, honor, country clues, decided I was right, and THEN started writing. I hadn't realized it was the D-Day anniversary, hadn't seen the cadet clue, and didn't know what kind of country it was until I got there, and had the same stumble at Laius. Otherwise a snap.

YSER, LAIRD, CIRC, SGTS, SSRS, MIV, OPE - a bit heavy on the junk fill/crosswordese for a Monday, making this one a bit of a challenge. Appropriate tribute, though, and some nice Zs, Xs, and Ks to liven up the grid a bit. A smart salute to Mr. Whitehead.

I liked the theme density, but also liked what people said about how to get more military entries in, such as army. But my dad played alto sax soooo....I don't alphabetize my spices but my hand knows right where to go for cumin.

Nice smooth puzzle, I thought, with the possible exception of Laius, which I feel better about because others seem to have had the same thought. Particularly liked 'kazoo.' I would have liked it more if the theme answers were less straightforward, I suppose. The theme jumped out at me right away and I do prefer if it is more subtle and surprising. But overall, I liked it just fine.

I liked the puzzle's simplicity and the fact that it didn't do too much with the "official" theme. Honor. Duty. Country. Good words. Phrases they're in are not so impt. to me in this case.

@bobk - I had same rewrite and was just as shocked! Monday!

Also agree with comments on the "bonus" words strenghtening the puzzle and very much appreciate P>G>'s comment reminding us that today is anniversary of D-Day. I think its an ersatz tribute puzzle, at best, tho - so much specific stuff they could have worked in (DDAY e.g., and Omaha, Utah, Normandy, etc.) if it were truly a tribute. Seems more like serendipity. Also, a good time to start a re watch of Band of Brothers!

So, Rex's relentless nitpicking about consistency, balance and all those other things which dredge up his obvious hatred of puzzles can actually inspire someone to visualize a solution which addresses those concerns and might make for a slightly better puzzle?

Thanks, @Greene, for the mention of the video clip-- it showed up blank on the iPad, and I always want to know what the clip is, even if I can't see it.

You guys (she says, using the overly broad, inflammatory subject) are so harsh sometimes! I thought this was a clean, solid Monday, with great theme answers scattered throughout, plenty enough to justify the less-desirable fill. and I like OPE.

Venus and Adonis

'You hurt my hand with wringing; let us part, And leave this idle theme, this bootless chat: Remove your siege from my unyielding heart; To love's alarms it will not OPE the gate: Dismiss your vows, your feigned tears, your flattery; For where a heart is hard they make no battery.'

It's fine as a West Point theme, but only very weakly linked to D-Day, via 4D AXIS - unless there was a battle along the YSER a little later, but I think that was a different war and a different Y-word.

When I saw _XI_ next to MIV, I though "Yech - two Roman numerals right next to each other! Maybe the USMC has a school." I was glad to see I was wrong when I read the clue.

With all due respect to Sutherland and Fonda, whose work I have for the most part admired, I would advise Rex to skip watching Klute in this 21st century. It did not age well, and so bored me that I just had to turn it off. There are just too many other great films out there -- and way too little time! Just a word to the wise.

This morning during our walk with the pups, my husband commented that it didn't seem like enough mention was made of D-Day; his father lost both of his legs on Sword Beach.Then I started the puzzle and it brought us a smile....I love the word LAIUS althought I'm not sure how to pronouce it.Loved the movie KLUTE although I can't stand Jane Fonda.My brother, just to annoy us would play the KAZOO endlessly.

@JenCT - I was given that T-shirt and had to cross out the "like" and write "as" in keeping with the OCD. However, it causes people to stare at your chest. One of my vanity plates is OCDOCD.My family was actually tested by Johns Hopkins in their second phase of studying the subject, and, yes we have the gene.

@Anon121 - agree. If you actually lived through the era, you know that it wasn't all Elvis. As a matter of fact, I'm surprised he gets so much recognition now. Everyone else has been written out of history.

Couldn't get the first letter of LAIUS, especially since the cross was sports.

@JohnV - Love that poem! Lud sing Cuckoo 2 U!

@Kip - I agree.

Hubster has a cousin who was fired as a Wal*Mart greeter. A Senior Citizen. They went to a hearing to make sure he got NYS Unemp. Ins. and the company's rep. never showed up.

And, everyone pls note, what @rex has said @jackj 9:23am, ie his suggestions are on the opposite track if you are interested in constructing!That's why @Rex mentioned that CIVICDUTY was too close to the real thing; you have to try and use the theme word in a second context if possible AND it has to be the right amount of letters (see @sethg 8:22 am comment about HEAVY duty, that would work)

It's also why MYCOUNTRY wouldn't work on letter-count front, too on the nose for the theme, AND a long partial...

But it warms my heart to see everyone taking a crack at improvement and construction; shows that people STILL take Mondays for granted. (I mean TEY would NEVER fly, every word in the grid has to be as light and easy as the theme)That's why I'd bet this was originally submitted as a Tuesday.

(On that note, @bob, @hazel, @quilter1 who were horrified about a write over for a Monday...I too had ACUity/ACUMEN first, but neither word would normally be in a Monday anyway, so don't beat yourself up over it!)

Will has said repeatedly he needs good Mondays, so everyone who has an inkling to try, get off your tushes and do it! Now is the time, and there are plenty of us(constructors/mentors) willing to help!

Caveat: It's the most underpaid thing you can do, next to working for WalMart!

This week's relative difficulty ratings. See my 7/30/2009 post for an explanation. In a nutshell, the higher the ratio, the higher this week's median solve time is relative to the average for the corresponding day of the week.

All solvers (this week's median solve time, average for day of week, ratio, percentile, rating)

@jackjNot attacking you!!! Just don't want those interested in constructing to get on the wrong track... Reread, not said harshly, it was just so off (in my opinion) I didn't want any of that to sink in!I spend a lot of time trying to help people construct...A LOT of time...and all the things you wrote were exactly the kinds of things that seem intuitive but are wrong.Please recover, take them in the spirit it was meant, and then make a puzzle! :)

Never knew before I started to read this blog just how many rules must be adhered to to construct a "proper" xword puzzle. I guess if I were really very jazzed to know 'em all--so that I could be disappointed whenever there was a similar word in the clues or something--I'd find the Strunk & White's of xword-making and memorize all the possible infractions.

Like how many IN's as part of two-part phrases are allowable in the same puz? Today we had ZOOMIN>>ITSIN>>CUMIN. Is this situation kosher or not? Or would it normally be unacceptable except that it's part of a thematically comportable shock and aaahhhh campaign?

Were the AXIS COUNTRYs back in the D-Day day said to be the axis OF anything? Like W's "AXIS of evil?" Regardless, I like the crossing of AXIS with PRIX, hope we call our next set that.

I know that D-Day was mostly an Army show; but with it also having been the occasion of the greatest armada ever collected in world history (better than 5,000 boats and ships were involved in carrying the TROOPs and equipment across), I'm glad that the Navy got a little shoutout with LANDHO.

@acme - The movie you're thinking of is "The Morning After" in which Jane plays a washed-up actress and lush. She was a hooker in Klute.

This puzzle took me a bit longer than Mondays usually do. I was flying along just fine till I hit the midlands and then slowed down horribly. Had WIPE UP for WET MOP, but otherwise no other write-overs.

On the topic of Constructors: I stand in awe and am disappointed (though not at all surprised) to learn they're paid a pittance .

Deb@Roomscapes Also took me longer today than the usual Monday - I LOVE Mondays because they are FINALLY becoming almost "easy" for me. Wasn't too bad until I got stuck with "Laius" and "Yser" but guessed at those and managed to finish.

I was really looking forward to Rex rocking the blog with a video of Carl Perkin's Blue SUEDE shoes to set the rockabilly record straight, but no such luck. And to add insult to injury, the Charlie Parker video he posted is no longer available due to multiple notifications of copyright infringement, so no great music to listen to as I read the comments.

@NarB - thank you for mentioning that the Navy also played a role in the D-Day operations. I suspect the outcome would have been different if the Army had to swim to Normandy.